West Ham Transfer Latest

The most likely rumour comes from The Newcastle Evening Chronicle who claim that following the injury to Kieron Dyer West Ham have rekindled their interest in Nobby Solano. However Solano will only be allowed to leave if Newcastle sign Abdoulaye Faye and Habib Beye today.

The wildest rumour from the BBC message boards has Peter Crouch at Upton Park today, as well as at every other Premier League ground.

Everything is quiet on the Giles Barnes and Nicky Shorey deals, but as with Nobby Solano a lot of deals today could work on a domino effect with players not being allowed to leave until another player is brought in.

West Ham Transfer Rumours

The Sun claim that West Ham expect to sign Derby midfielder Giles Barnes for about £5m today, "The clubs were last night thrashing out a fee — around £5million — for the left midfielder, 19, who is on standby to complete talks."

The Daily Star say that Reading's Nicky Shorey will join West Ham on Friday - but only if the Hammers make a new bid of at least £6m. The Star also believe that Everton are attempting to sign West Ham target Stephen Appiah.

The Daily Telegraph say West Ham are understood to be monitoring the movements of former player Joe Cole after his reported difference of opinion with Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho.

The Independent say that West Ham are one of only three clubs to be in profit in this transfer window, to the tune of 0.15 million.

Coppell Says Shorey Deal is Closed

Reading manager Steve Coppell says there has been no contact between West Ham and Reading since West Ham's £4 million offer for Nicky Shorey was rejected,

"West Ham were his boyhood club so he has an affinity with them. I want him to stay here, but I can’t say he will.

We politely declined their offer. We thought it was a nigh on derisory offer and we have turned it down immediately. As far as I’m aware, there has not been any contact between the clubs since and as far as I see it’s closed."

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Reading Reject West Ham Derisory Offer

Reading have dismissed West Ham's £4 million bid for Nickey Shorey as 'derisory'. It has been widely reported that West Ham had made a £5 million offer but Reading have revealed that West Ham only bid £4 million, which is way below their valuation of the player.

Fulham After Zamora

According to The Daily Mail Fulham are keen on signing West Ham's Bobby Zamora. Sanchez had turned his efforts to Zamora after he was rebuffed in his attempts to land Jason Roberts from Blackburn Rovers.

The Daily Mirror say that West Ham have offered Mullins and £6 million for Nickey Shorey. The paper also says that Alan Curbishley is set to sign Derby's Giles Barnes as emergency cover for the injured Kieron Dyer. The Sun also says that Derby are worried that Dyer's injury will lead West Ham to bid for Barnes.

The Daily Express say West Ham have made a £10million bid for Adriano - but are not confident he will sign before the transfer window closes. The Guardian claim West Ham officials have privately conceded their pursuit of Adriano is proving "complicated" with the player understood to favour a move to Lazio. The Hammers retain their interest in Derby's Giles Barnes, Palermo's Mark Bresciano and Nicky Shorey of Reading.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

West Ham's £15 million Adriano Bid

Despite yesterday's official club statement stating that West Ham had only made a loan offer for Inter's Adriano and ridiculing the 'figures that have been quoted' Channel Four today claim that the club have offered Inter £15 million for the Brazilian striker.

Channel Four say that West Ham's initial loan offer was rejected by the player so the club have responded by changing the offer to a permanent deal worth £15 million.

Lazio and City in For Adriano

It looks like West Ham are unlikely to land Inter's Brazilian striker on loan. Adriano has publicly stated that he will not consider a loan move and West Ham now seem to have rivals for the striker's attention as Lazio and Man City have entered the race.

Adriano Turns Down West Ham

Sky Sports are reporting that Adriano has turned down West Ham's loan offer. This is not surprising and West Ham's attempt to take the player on loan was a strange move as the Brazilian says he does not want to go out on loan.

Sky say West Ham are expected to make another bid. Considering Adriano's desire for a permanent move let's hope West Ham make a transfer bid this time.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Dyer Looks to Have Broken Two Bones

Sky Sports are reporting that Kieron Dyer is suspected to have broken both bones in his lower right leg. Alan Curbishley speaking after tonight's Carling Cup game said,

"We think he's broken his leg. It's so disappointing for him and we feel desperately disappointed for him. I'm so disappointed with the tackle because it was needless and I think Jacobson will have a look at that and be very disappointed with himself."

Bristol Rovers 1 West Ham 2

The game didn't start well for West Ham. The pre-match talk of Dean Ashton being given his first start of the season was soon dispelled as Ashton pulled out of the squad and then in the opening minutes of the match Kieron Dyer was stretchered off with a suspected broken leg.

However Craig Bellamy managed to cheer up the visiting West Ham fans by first opening his account for the club and then banging in a second. His first came in the 31st minute with a 20 yard shot into the bottom-left of the goal after being set up by Mullins. The second came when he won a chase onto a long ball pumped up from the back by Neill and shot first time with his left foot from 12 yards into the bottom right of the net.

The second half was fairly comfortable for West Ham except for Ferdinand being turned inside out by Walker in the 72nd minute on the edge of the penalty area. Walker consequently found himself one on one with Wright and slotted the ball past the keeper from about ten yards.

This gave Rovers some hope and towards the end of the game they applied a little pressure on the West Ham goal without ever looking like claiming the equaliser.

West Ham in Adriano Talks

West Ham have issues an official statement saying that they are in talks with Inter Milan about taking Brazilian striker Adriano on loan. The statement says that West Ham are discussing a loan deal at present.

The BBC say that Adriano has slipped down the order at Milan because of a "loss of form amid a succession of injuries and doubts over his commitment".

It is believed that Scott Duxbury flew out to Italy this morning to try and arrange the loan deal. Unfortunately for West Ham Adriano himself ruled out the possibility of going out on loan only yesterday and is demanding a permanent move,

“I don’t want to go out on loan again. I’ve already been at Parma and at that time it was right for my career, but now I really must leave for good and that’s that.”

West Ham Make Shorey Bid

According to The Sun West Ham have made a £5 million bid for Reading left-back Nicky Shorey. The paper claim Curbishley has been tracking Shorey for weeks but waited until yesterday to make his first bid.

Reading rejected the offer but West Ham will not give up and are confident he will be playing against Reading at the weekend.

McAvennie Says Curbs Needs Results

West Ham legend Frank McAvennie, in an interview with The Daily Express, has warned Alan Curbishley that if he doesn't get results then he won't last long as manager,

“One thing about Mr Magnusson is that he is ruthless. If he doesn’t get results, then he will get someone else in. I did think Curbishley was the right man for the job but I don’t know how long he can last if he doesn’t get results.”

And to get the results McAvennie says West Ham need another striker,

"Dean Ashton is nowhere near ready to return. I watched him against Wigan on Saturday and as soon as he came on the park everyone looked jumpy. They are scared of losing him again, so I would like to see them go out and buy a striker.

“They need a partner for Bellamy because Bobby is still wanting that extra touch. You just don’t get two touches inside the 18-yard box in this league.

“No disrespect to Bobby, but if he’s not doing it now then he’s never going to do it. If Ashton’s fit then fine but he’s months away.

“I would rather keep Ashton out until he is ready than risk him and then he’s out for another year.”

Monday, August 27, 2007

Bellamy and Ashton Keen to Start

Alan Curbishley has said he will give Dean Ashton his first start tomorrow against Bristol Rovers and Craig Bellamy is keen to line up alongside him. Bellamy picked up a groin strain playing against Wigan on Saturday but says he wants to see action against Rovers,

"I would love to be involved, if I'm honest. Rovers are the first club I was ever with. I was in their kind of School of Excellence at the age of nine when my local club Cardiff didn't have much for youngsters and I had to cross the bridge.

Curbs Considers West Ham's Start

Alan Curbishley, on the West Ham official site, is disappointed with only four points from the opening three games,

"We're a bit disappointed but, then again, we're only at the start of a long season and we certainly don't expect to be in the bottom three again this year. Here at West Ham we want to have a solid, mid-table season so that we can then build some foundations that will enable us to push on next year.

"Alongside Dean Ashton, we've also got Scott Parker, Freddie Ljungberg and Julien Faubert to come back and once we get a settled side, things will be different."

West Ham to make Benni bid

According to The Daily Mail West Ham have given up on signing Gudjohnsen and Anelka and have instead turned their attention to Blackburn's Benni McCarthy. The paper claim West Ham are thinking of offering £8 million for the South African striker.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

West Ham in the Sunday Papers

The People claim that West Ham are ready to revive there interest in Ghanaian Stephen Appiah. Curbishley failed to prise the midfielder away from Fenerbache in July but sources in Turkey say the 26 year old would now be available for a fee of around £5millon.

The Sunday Mirror say West Ham are interested in Tugay. They say West Ham are set to move for Rovers veteran Turkish star Tugay as Curbs believes the 37 year old midfielder will add more experience to his team.

The Sunday Telegraph say Eggert Magnusson is prepared to take legal action against Sheffield United. The paper back up this claim with quotes from a two week old West Ham statement in response to The Blades taking West Ham to an FA tribunal.

Saturday, August 25, 2007

West Ham 1 Wigan 1

West Ham dominated the first half without really looking like scoring. Noble was taken down by Kirlkland in the area in the 28th minute and should have been given a penalty but the ref ignored West Ham's appeals.

Bellamy actually put the ball in the back of the Wigan net in the 35th minute but was correctly ruled offside. Towards the end of the half Wigan carved out a couple of chances for themselves. Koumas's shot in the 42nd minute from 25 yards clipped the outside of the post as it went wide and a minute later Heskey put a good chance over the bar from a corner.

In the 60th minute Ashton was brought on for Zamora. However the opening goal came at the other end.

In the 77th minute Wigan won a throw deep in West Ham's half. Melchiot threw the ball long into the box, Heskey flicked the ball on and Scharner scored from 12 yards with an overhead kick.

West Ham almost hit back immediately when an onrushing Bowyer put a chance wide from a couple of yards. A minute later however Bowyer did get the equaliser when his shot from Boa Morte's cross beat Kirkland from 12 yards.

In the final few minutes West Ham piled on the pressure in a desperate attempt to get the winner but the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

West Ham vs Wigan Streaming

Live Radio Commentary is available on BBC London DAB Digital Radio & Satellite channel 0152. Because of the cancellation of the QPR game the West Ham game is now being broadcast on analogue radio as well.

TV Streaming is apparently available via ViperTV. This is a peer-to-peer service that I've never used and I don't know where to download it. This thread on WestHamOnline discusses the feed.

Ashton Must Fight for his Place

Alan Curbishley has told Dean Ashton he must earn his place in the West Ham starting line up,

"Ashton is fit and he's waiting for his chance. As you saw with Owen and David Beckham with England, football is what gets people to the top of their game. He had a great pre-season in terms of having no hiccups and he can only get better.

He's delighted he's back. The qualifiers are a couple of weeks away, and he needs a bit more than that. He needs to try to get back in the West Ham side."

Friday, August 24, 2007

Parker Out

There are rumours that Scott Parker will not be available tomorrow after a set back to his knee injury. Freddie Ljungberg (ankle) is doubtful but Neill is expected to make his first start of the season.

Wigan are expected to be unchanged from last week. The Latics have made an unexpected good start to the season and the team playing away normally win in West Ham vs Wigan encounters. However Wigan have had a reasonably easy start and their two wins have been at home against Sunderland and Boro.

West Ham have failed to score from open play in their first two games of the season and will hope to rectify this tomorrow. Ashton is not yet match fit so Zamora is likely to start up front again. However Ashton is likely to make a second half appearance.

McAvennie & Cottee to Start Up Front

WEST Ham Old Boys will take on Chelsea Old Boys at Tooting and Mitcham Football Club on Sunday in aid of the Past Players Trust. Club legends such as Frank McAvennie, Ray Steward, Phil Parkes, Tony Cottee and Tony Gale will appear for West Ham and the Chelsea team will include Ray Wilkins, Graham Le Saux, Kerry Dixon, Clive Walker, Jason Cundy and Nigel Spackman.

Tickets cost £10, children and concessions £5. The match will kick off at 2pm at Tooting and Mitcham Football Club, The Hub, Bishopsford Road, Morden, Surrey.

For tickets contact the West Ham box office on 0870 1122700, Tooting and Mitcham box office on 0208 648 3248 or visit

Thursday, August 23, 2007

West Ham Don't Need Another Left Back

Alan Curbishley has denied that West Ham are in the hunt for another left-back. With the sale of Konchesky West Ham have been left with only one recognisable left back in George McCartney. This has led to months of speculation linking the club with a number of full-backs but Curbishley says,

"We had one [full-back] playing for Northern Ireland last night. I'm very happy with George McCartney - but we also have Jonathan Spector, who was also on international duty this week.

West Ham Linked With Diouf

The Sun have concluded that because Alan Curbishley watched Senegal vs Ghana on Tuesday he is about to make a £10 million bid for Bolton's El-Hadji Diouf. It has been a move that has been decried by some West Ham fans because in November 2002 Diouf spat at some West Ham fans whilst warming up on the touchlines for Liverpool.

The Sun back up their claim with some quotes that Diuof made two weeks ago before The Sun had invented West Ham's interest,

“I’ll go back to Bolton to speak to the chairman. At the moment I’m at Bolton but tomorrow who knows? Before I had some problems at Liverpool but everyone in the UK now knows that El Hadji Diouf is a top player.

“I don’t just want to move for moving’s sake because Bolton is like my second home. I want to go to where I’ll be happy.”

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

West Ham Linked With Italian International

Sky Sports say that West Ham are interested in Udinese and Italy striker Antonio Di Natale.

The player's agent is due to have a meeting with Udinese because the player is reportedly upset about his wages. Di Natale is contracted to the club until 2012 so I suspect the West Ham interest is being talked up by the agent just to screw more wages out of his current club.

Noble and Green Sign New Contracts

Mark Noble and Robert Green have followed Gabbidon and Collins by signing new four year contracts with West Ham.

Mark Noble, who last night played for England U21, said,

"I am delighted to have sorted out a new deal. After ending the season on such a high and being so involved with the team it is great for the Club to show their belief in me by offering me a new contract.

"It is common knowledge just how much this Club means to me so it is was an easy decision to commit my future here."

West Ham to Loan Heinze?

The Sun are reporting that West Ham have made a loan offer for Gabriel Heinze. Heinze who was told yesterday by a Premier League panel that he could not move to Liverpool now faces the prospect of languishing in Man Utd's reserves.

Heinze is set to appeal the league's decision but it appears Heinze has little choice but to move abroad, go out on loan or face being ignored at Old Trafford.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Barnes on the Way????

KUMB say that Derby local radio are reporting that the Rams' midfielder Giles Barnes is signing for West Ham for £6 million. The website however has taken down a story in which they claimed that Derby Evening Telegraph reporter Steve Nicholson had also reported the story after a furious Steve Nicholson claimed he had said no such thing.

So is Barnes signing? I've no idea. KUMB should certainly be done for tapping up :).

According to the Derby Evening Telegraph Barnes' Wikipedia article has been edited to say he is a West Ham player.

Gabbs & Collins sign New Deals

West Ham defenders Danny Gabbidon and James Collins have each signed two year extensions to their contracts with the club.

Gabbidon said today,

"I am disappointed not to be in the side, but at least the new contracts show that the club wants both me and James around. We will both now work hard and fight to prove we are worthy of a place in the side."

West Ham Gossip

All seems to have gone quiet again on the transfer front, with only The Mail linking West Ham with Appiah and Anelka. The Appiah rumour has probably been resurrected because a proposed move to German outfit Schalke has fallen through.

West Ham United have appointed Jerome John as a goalkeeping coach.

Reading say they have had no approaches from West Ham or Newcastle for Nicky Shorey.

Portsmouth may sign Nobby Solano as West Ham's interest has cooled.

West Ham have announced that there are some tickets available for the Wigan game due to some ticket returns.

West Ham Can't Refuse Arbitration

The FA have told West Ham that they must face arbitration with Sheffield United. Apparently arbitration is immediately triggered when one club calls for arbitration against another. So we now face the ridiculous prospect of a repeat of the disciplinary committee of last season because of the Blade's misunderstanding of the whole issue.

Sheffield United thought they had new evidence only to be told that their evidence was available to the original disciplinary committee. Instead of backing down gracefully they are insisting on this mockery. So we go through the whole farce again - talk about double jeopardy.

The FA have given West Ham 14 days to nominate a delegate for the three member panel.

Appiah and Anelka for West Ham

According to The Daily Mail Bolton are resigned to losing Anelka who is trying to decide whether to sign for Portsmouth or West Ham. The paper also claim that West Ham are closing in on Fenerbahce midfielder Stephen Appiah.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Bellamy Dismisses Kapo Clash

Craig Bellamy has played down talk of a bust up between Kapo and himself after West Ham's game on Saturday,

"The stick you get is part and parcel of the game. If I'd let it get to me I'd have been out of this game years ago. I'd have been washed up. What happened with Kapo is just part of the game. I'm not going to blame anyone.

"They're showing passion, the same as I am. There's nothing wrong in that. In fact, it gives me more respect for them. As for the penalty, I don't even need to get into that.

"The decision was made correctly. Look at the replays and you'll see for yourself. The linesman was right there. If he had been on the other side it might not have been so clear-cut but he had a perfect view."

Noble Effort

Alan Curbishley has revealed that he had a talk with Mark Noble after West Ham's opening game of the season,

"Like a lot of our players he was flat last week. So we sat him down and showed him the film of what he did well when he played so brilliantly at the back-end of last season and then what he didn't do on the opening day against Manchester City.

"He came out determined to put that right today and it was a good performance."

Ljungberg Injury

Reports say that Freddie Ljungberg has pulled out of Sweden's game against the USA on Wednesday with a groin injury. Before the Birmingham game it was said he had picked up an ankle injury in training so I hope this is just a precautionary move by the Swedish captain and not a different injury.

Curbishley said in the run up to last week's game that Parker and Neill would be available for selection. Obviously neither made Saturday's win but should be back for this coming Saturday.

West Ham Improve

Curbishley got a lot right against Birmingham, in particular starting Etherington and Mullins in place of Boa Morte and Bowyer. I thought Spector had a poor game and although Etherington and Mullins played better than Boa Morte and Bowyer did last week these are the positions we would want to improve upon.

It is lucky then that next Saturday hopefully we will have Neill in at right back, Parker in midfield and Lljungberg on the left wing. With Aston also hopefully soon match fit that looks like a very good starting eleven.

The big question is how often will all those players be fit at the same time?

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Curbs Denies Rift With Bellamy

You've got to give it to The Daily Mail. They make up a story about Bellamy having a go at Alan Curbishley and then try to make a big story of the fact that there never was nay bust up between player and manager.

Today they quote West Ham manager Alan Curbishley's angry response to a story they made up in the first place,

"I can only say that reports I've had a bust-up with Craig are absolute nonsense. I can't begin to wonder why this sort of thing is happening. There seems to be some sort of agenda out there.

"I seem to be a bit of a target at the moment. If it is not me, then it is the club. What can I do about it? I can't say anything else but that nothing happened with Craig. It's completely untrue. I've just got to get on with things."

Birmingham 0 West Ham 1

The first half was a pretty scrappy affair with West Ham shading possession and efforts on goal.

West Ham's best effort was from a 24th minute thirty yard Mark Noble free-kick which just clipped the left hand post as it went wide low down. Noble also created a nice chance for himself on the edge of the area when he flicked the ball with his right foot over a defender and then volleyed with his left, but the ball flew wide.

Jonathon Spector tried on a number of occasions to hand the game on a plate to Birmingham but they failed to capitalise on their twelfth man. If Paintsil is a worse player than Spector you have to question why he wasn't sold in the summer.

The last action from the half came from a Birmingham free kick that led to a right-footed shot by Radhi Jaidi from the centre of the penalty area 12 yards out which was saved by Robert Green.

West Ham had the better of most of the second half. After 66 minutes Zamora created a good chance for himself when he turned and shot but put the ball wide. Two minutes later Zamora had another chance which he also shot wide.

In the 70th minute Craig Bellamy tried to round Doyle in the Birmingham goal and the keeper brought him down. Noble scored from the resultant penalty.

Birmingham applied a little pressure late on whilst never really looking like scoring.

Do Sheffield United Have Forged Documents?

The only basis that Sheffield United have for reopening this whole affair and taking West Ham to FA arbitration is that they have new evidence that was not considered by the original disciplinary commission.

The Blades claim they have 'secret documents' that no-one else has seen. The Blades then mention a December 1st contract. This contract West Ham say was submitted to the Premier League and was part of the documents passed onto the disciplinary commission. Today The Telegraph say that the English Premier League will back up this claim by West Ham.

Therefore Sheffield United will need new evidence substantially different from this December 1st contract. The Blades have had a number of meetings with Kia Joorabchian, who obviously feel he is not bound by the non-disclosure agreement he signed with West Ham, and obviously feel they do have documents substantially different to the December 1st contract.

The document they may have is a signed copy of the December 1st document that West Ham claimed was never signed. During the protracted transfer of Tevez to Manchester United MSI claimed that the contract was signed. West Ham have said that if MSI have a contract signed by Tevez it was signed later and not returned to the club.

One problem for Sheffield United is that MSI have a history of forging documents. In July the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Corinthians had to pay Lyon for Nilmar. The reason for this was that MSI had forged documents in Nilmar's transfer from Lyon.

It has emerged that MSI found a Lyon official who was prepared to sign a document confirming Nilmar's transfer before any money was received. Next, MSI got the help of a FIFA employee to complete paperwork to make the illegal transfer appear legal.

During Tevez's transfer to Manchester United Kia Joorabchian was very keen for the case to go to FIFA and seemed very reluctant for West Ham to receive any money from the transfer. However after FIFA passed the case onto the Court of Arbitration for Sport MSI quickly settled the issue with West Ham. Is this because the whole matter revolved around a disputed contract and that CAS had only recently decided that MSI had forged documents?

Which brings us to Sheffield United's current attempt to screw West Ham out of up to £50 million on the basis of what could be forged documents. The Blades are certainly basing their whole case on their discussions with the shady Kia Joorabchian, who is wanted by the Brazilian police on suspicion of money laundering. This seems a very dangerous path to take and Sheffield United may well find themselves open to a counter-claim of attempting to defraud West Ham.

Lljungberg Out?

The Daily Mail in an article that claims that Bellamy had 'harsh words' with Alan Curbishley after West Ham's defeat last week also say that Freddie Lljungberg did not travel with the West Ham team yesterday after injuring his ankle in training yesterday.

Arbitration Should Not Go Ahead

Sheffield United's hopes of arbitration look set to be dashed. The Daily Telegraph claim that the Premier League will uphold West Ham's claim that West Ham showed them the December 1st contract and that it was available to the disciplinary committee.

Effectively this means Sheffield United have no new evidence and there is no need for an arbitration panel to be established.

Friday, August 17, 2007

Dyer and Noble for England

Following on from yesterday's news that West Ham's Mark Noble had been included in the England U21 squad new signing Kieron Dyer has been called up to the full England squad to face Germany on Wednesday.

London Tonight Attack West Ham

Here is a report from last night's London Tonight. This has to be the most shocking piece of inaccurate reporting I have ever seen. The reporter Piers Hopkirk clearly knows nothing about football or West Ham.

To play the video right click on the black square and select play.

Error No.1:

Their rent-a-mouth 'legal expert' Richard Kramer clearly knows absolutely nothing about what he is talking about and bases his argument on the misunderstanding that Sheffield United are taking West Ham to the high court. In fact football teams are not permitted to sue each other and the Blades are taking West Ham to an FA convened tribunal.

Error No.2

Piers Hopkirk then goes on to claim that West Ham "were doing very badly indeed and in a last throw of the dice" signed Tevez and Mascherano. Obviously making it to an FA cup final and finishing 9th in our first season back in the Premier League was a disaster the club were desperate to recover from. Error No.3

West Ham to Bid For Anelka

According to The Daily Mail West Ham are set to scupper Portsmouth's bid for Nicolas Anelka. The paper says West Ham will match Pompey's £10 million offer but will offer the striker £90,000 a week in wages.

Blades on Hiding to Nothing Says Legal Expert

In a surprisingly non-West Ham bashing article The Daily Mail say that Sheffield United have no case against West Ham

The Mail quote sports litigation specialist Peter Coyle as saying that the fizzy pop club have not got a strong case,

"Proving West Ham breached their duty of good faith is easy enough because they have admitted to breaking the rules, but to prove that has been the main cause of their United's relegation is incredibly difficult to do.

"Sheffield United didn't beat Wigan on the last game of the season. That to me is a bigger reason for their relegation than Tevez, West Ham or anything else."

Neill and Parker Back for Saturday

Alan Curbishley has confirmed that Neill and Parker have both recovered from their respective injuries,

"I will decide on Friday whether to play Kieron but he is definitely fit and available, along with Lucas Neill and Scott Parker," he said.

Kieron Dyer is also available to make his debut for West Ham. Birmingham will be without Franck Queudrue (ankle) but Olivier Kapo and central defender Johan Djourou, who both picked up knocks on Wednesday, will play.

Birmingham, like West Ham, are still looking for their first win of the season.

Sheffield United Break FA Rule K 6b

Sheffield United have served notice of arbitration to West Ham under the Football Association's Rule K. West Ham have 14 days to respond to this action.

West Ham's response must set out an admission or denial of Sheffield United's charges, the reasons behind any denial and whether West Ham wish to counterclaim. West Ham must also name at this time the person they wish to appoint as arbitrator (any arbitration will be heard by three arbitrators, one appointed by each club and one by the FA.

Rule K 6b states that:

"Except with the prior written agreement of the parties to the arbitration, no disclosure shall be made to any third party of the existence of the proceedings, the contents of any documents or other evidence produced in the arbitration or any procedural decision of the Tribunal or its Award."

So Sheffield United seem to have broken this rule of the arbitration before it even sits by making a public statement to the world's media today that they intend to take West Ham to arbitration (disclosing its existence) and that they are doing this because of the December 1st contract (disclosing the contents of documents).

West Ham to Face FA Panel

According to The Times the dispute between West Ham and Sheffield United will be considered by a three-man panel, appointed by the FA, which has the authority to award any penalty, including compensation. Sheffield United have asked that Robert Englehart QC sits on the panel. Fulham may also join the proceedings against West Ham, who have 14 days to respond to the accusations.

This seems very strange to me. West Ham broke the rules of the Premier League for which they were punished by the Premier League's appointed disciplinary Commission and then also had to face an appeal against that commission's punishment. West Ham did not break any FA rules so why should we face yet another panel under the auspices of another authority (whose rules we didn't break)? I would also like to know what would happen if West Ham just refused to take part in this farce.

Avvording to The Times Peter Coyle, an expert in sports litigation, who is a partner at Coyle White Devine, the legal firm, said that Sheffield United do not have a case. “I think they are on a hiding to nothing,” he said. “Sheffield didn’t beat Wigan on the last day. That is a bigger reason for their relegation than Tévez and West Ham.”

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Solano Forced to Stay Up North

Now that West Ham have signed Kieron Dyer Fat Sam has insisted that Norberto Solano must stay at Newcastle. Allardyce says,

"Nobby has talked about his family situation and that's obviously something we have to try and resolve. But at the moment, unlike Kieron, where West Ham have come in with a big offer, nobody has come in for Nobby. So he stays with us and he really is not someone I would want to lose."

West Ham Come out Fighting - Hammers Smash Blades

The Blades in a statement on their website claim that they are taking their latest action because this document was not seen by the original commission. As I pointed out this afternoon West Ham had already announced that this document had been seen by the Premier League and had been submitted to the disciplinary commission. Clearly the Blades have employed a legal team as clueless as their chairman.

West Ham have also announced that they "will not permit these repeated slurs to go unchallenged and are in discussions with their legal advisers in relation to the action they might take." Hopefully McCabe will now stop making his ridiculous accusations against West Ham - but somehow I doubt it.

West Ham React to Blades

West ham have issued the following official statement in reaction to Sheffield United's attempt to seek compensation:

West Ham United is extremely disappointed that Sheffield United has seen fit to embark on this latest desperate action. Not only does Sheffield United's claim lack legal merit, but it is also based on Sheffield United's incorrect belief that West Ham United withheld an agreement from the Premier League and the April Disciplinary Commission.

In fact, long before the disciplinary hearing, West Ham United made the Premier League fully aware of the existence and status of the agreement in question. This agreement was then included in the documentation produced for the Disciplinary Commission who were therefore also aware of its existence throughout the proceedings.

Sheffield United's latest assertions clearly demonstrate a fundamental misunderstanding of the situation and any proceedings brought by them will be vigorously defended by West Ham United.

In the meantime, West Ham United and its new owners will not permit these repeated slurs to go unchallenged and are in discussions with their legal advisers in relation to the action they might take.

Curbs NOT Considering Legal Action

Alan Curbishley has hit back at Konchesky's personal attack on him but despite what is printed in The Mail he quite clearly says he is not going to sue the ex-West Ham left back.

"It was no surprise to me when I saw it - I don't think the boy has any class," said Curbishley.

"It's a little bit bitter and twisted and perhaps that's as far as I should go because I've had a good look at it and there are some things I might want to look at again.

"It's a situation of free speech - but it was no surprise to me. I gave him his debut at Charlton when he was 16 and, contrary to some observers, we've never had a row or a bust-up, so I don't quite know where we go.

"But he's left the club and he should just get on with his football. I've not lost too much sleep over it and took it with a pinch of salt.

"But I'm having a look at some of the things and (legal action) is for me to think about. But I'm in a similar position to him and so I'm not going to go down that route."

Dyer Straight into Squad

West Ham new signing Kieron Dyer will train with the team tomorrow and will be in the squad to face Birmingham on Saturday. Dyer, who was reputedly unhappy at playing on the wing at Newcastle, seems happy to play anywhere at West Ham,

"I think the gaffer sees me as quite a versatile player who can play through the centre whether that be off the strikers or as a central-midfielder that is obviously up to him but if I am required to step in to cover for any of the wide players that would be okay because I am comfortable on the left or the right and I happy at full-back as well."

Dyer claims it is the ambition of the club that helped him to decide on West Ham,

"I ... see West Ham as a Club that is really going places, they have shown great ambition with the other players they have brought in and I just love the clear hunger of the Club to be successful."

Blades Have No Case

The substance of Sheffield United's justification for going over this all again seems to be the contract that West Ham claim was never signed by Tevez in December.

A statement on the Blades' website reads:

"West Ham failed to disclose a critically important, additional third party agreement dated 1 December 2006.

This particular information has only emerged in the last couple of weeks. It seems that West Ham concealed the existence of this document in order to shield its new owners, who have publicly maintained that they were innocent of any involvement in a third party agreement.

As a result, the contents of the third party agreement dated 1 December 2006 was not taken into account by the Premier League or the disciplinary commission that ultimately punished West Ham."

This is the 1st December of contract that was discussed during Tevez's transfer to Man Utd. The contract that West Ham say (and which I think was confirmed by the EPL) was shown to the EPL and was part of the documents handed over by the club to the original disciplinary commission.

So either Sheffield United don't believe West Ham, the Premier League and the original hearing or are just incredibly thick.

West Ham Sign Kieron Dyer

The West Ham website have confirmed that West Ham have finally signed Kieron Dyer. In a very short statement the site says,

"Newcastle United and West Ham have agreed terms and the transfer of Kieron Dyer to West Ham has now been concluded."

The BBC are reporting the deal is "believed to be in the region of £6m", which would be little strange as that is the sum that was originally agreed and then Newcastle thought was not enough. Reports yesterday suggested an initial fee of £6 million with another million dependent on appearances.

Alan Curbishley has welcomed West Ham's latest signing,

"We are delighted to get the player in. If you look at his history over the last couple of years he missed a lot of games with his hamstring - but once he got it sorted, he played 33 games and scored eight goals.

"He also played for England against Spain, Brazil and Andorra - so he is a current England international, and we are delighted to have him on board."

West Ham Can Just Say No to Baldes

It seems the basis of the claim is that West Ham in lying to the Premier League over the signings of Mascherano and Tevez are in breach of its contract with all the other Premier League clubs.

The biggest joke here is that the money-grabbing, ambulance chasing muppets claim they are taking this action "To help restore integrity to the reputation of English football" whilst at the same time dragging it head first through the mud.

The BBC says,

"United (Sheffield) are seeking West Ham's agreement to go to arbitration through the Football Association in order to settle their claim."

Some posters on Hammers Mad have suggested that the Blades are actually attempting to get West Ham to be judged by a 'court' set up by the FA and headed by a real judge. If true this begs two questions,

1. Whay have the FA allowed themselves to be dragged into Sheffied United's raving delusions?

Blades to Sue West Ham

Now that Sheffield United have been told they were wrong by the League's independent arbitration and by the High Court they have decided to try and seek compensation from West Ham.

A spokesman for the northern muppets said,

"After consideration and discussion with our legal advisers Sheffield United are today initiating legal proceedings against West Ham United.

"We are seeking substantial compensation for our relegation from the Premier League. This action is distinct from the arbitration proceedings between the club and the Premier League during the close season.

"We have always said that we will do everything in our power to secure justice for Sheffield United and restore the integrity of English football which has been tarnished by this affair.

"Once proceedings have been issued we will await a response from West Ham before making any further statements."

The Blades claim they have new evidence about West Ham's termination of Tevez's contract.

Dyer's Mystery Illness

With Kieron Dyer's transfer to West Ham now looking that it will finally go ahead fans are wondering about The Sunday Mirror's claim that Dyer's medical revealed a 'specific problem'. The Mirror claim that a consultant said that despite the 'problem' Dyer would be able to fulfil a four year contract.

I have read rumours that Dyer has Hepatitis B and West Ham Till I Die mention a liver problem that would involve a transplant later in life. Which actually sounds a little more serious than Hepatitis B.

Presumably it is the same illness that has affected Kieron Dyer for a number of years. In 2005 Newcastle felt forced to inform increasingly frustrated Geordie fans that Dyer was actually suffering from an illness and not just malingering,

"Kieron Dyer has a medical problem which has contributed to his lack of fitness. Unfortunately, he has suffered another reaction."

If it is Hepatitis B then that in itself should not seriously affect Dyer's ability to play football. However Dyer's susceptibility to injuries as well does raise the suspicion that he actually suffers from a debilitating illness.

Whatever it is one thing is certain, the treatment room at West Ham is likely to be a busy place this year.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Anton for England

The Sun today reveal Anton Ferdinand's dream of joining his brother in the England team,

"I’ve shown that I can play at international standard and I hope the England manager has been looking at that.

It is a big dream that Rio and all my family are hoping for — that we can one day play together for England."

Perhaps he should first concentrate on keeping his place in the West Ham team. After Saturday's performance, in front of the England manager, he will be lucky to make the first team against Birmingham let alone the England squad.

Dyer Deal Will be Done Within Days

The Daily Telegraph say That West Ham will sign Kieron Dyer today. West Ham pulled out of the initial deal when Newcastle upped the price from £6 million to £8 million and the new deal will see them pay an initial fee of £6 million with an additional £1 million dependent on appearances.

Cloughing Hell

As is the way of the internet Derby's accusations against West Ham led me indirectly to a BBC page of quotes by the ex-Derby manager Brian Clough. Because they are the only thing to bring a smile to my face since Saturday here are the best;

"If a chairman sacks the manager he initially appointed, he should go as well" - Saying that too many managers lose their jobs.

"I wouldn't say I was the best manager in the business. But I was in the top one" - On his own success.

"I only ever hit Roy the once. He got up so I couldn't have hit him very hard" - On dealing with Roy Keane.

"We talk about it for 20 minutes and then we decide I was right" - On dealing with players who disagree with him.

"At last England have appointed a manager who speaks English better than the players" - On the appointment of Sven-Goran Eriksson.

"I'm sure the England selectors thought if they took me on and gave me the job, I'd want to run the show. They were shrewd because that's exactly what I would have done" - On not getting the England manager's job.

"For all his horses, knighthoods and championships, he hasn't got two of what I've got. And I don't mean balls" - Referring to Sir Alex Ferguson's failure to win two successive European Cups.

"Anybody who can do anything in Leicester but make a jumper has got to be a genius" - His tribute to Martin O'Neill, who used to manage Leicester City.

"I thought it was my next-door neighbour because I think she felt that if I got something like that I would have to move" - Guessing who nominated him for a knighthood.

West Ham and Barnes

The Daily Mail are now also reporting that Derby are concerned West Ham have tapped up Giles Barnes. This story seems to have cleared up any ambiguity that might have been left over from The Times story (see post below) that West Ham are the cub accused.

The Mail quotes Derby chairman Peter Gadsby as saying,

"They would be mistaken if they thought Derby County were a soft touch. We have had an approach that we didn't want. I hate to use the word derisory but it was certainly unrealistic.

"The bid suggested two things. First, that there was some business we don't know about. Secondly, that it was in itself unattractive.

"We have formed an opinion and we will act upon that when some facts fall into place."

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Derby Accuse West Ham of Tapping Up

The Times say that Derby County are considering whether to report West Ham for tapping up Giles Barnes.

They quote Derby chairman Peter Gadsby as saying,

"There is a history of this club being pillaged. With the Barnes situation, we’ve got a particular club that has been very busy – his father’s very influential in his life – but they’d be mistaken if they thought Derby County were a soft touch. Giles Barnes is an important part of the progress of this club and my advice to him would be to keep his head down and progress with it.

“If we have any evidence that things are going on, we’ll look at it. We’re watching the Barnes situation very closely as to how the business is progressing. We have formed an opinion and we’ll wait a little while. We’re waiting for some facts before we decide where to go with this.”

Obviously this quote doesn't mention West Ham and Gadsby goes on to say that Derby have had several enquiries about Barnes but I assume that The Times know it is West Ham or they wouldn't have named the club directly.

Newcastle have openly stated that they were unhappy about how West Ham conducted themselves in trying to sign Kieron Dyer. Up to now I have been sceptical of that claim and have wanted to believe that Newcastle just wanted to screw some extra money out of West Ham. However a little voice at the back of my brain has been nagging about why Newcastle would deliberately scupper a deal for a player they are desperate to lose.

We all know tapping up goes on. Man United didn't just tap up Carlos Tevez but laid down a thirty mile exploratory field with a trans-Siberean pipeline attached and Liverpool have hardly been discreet in their tapping-up of Heinze. The big difference is that West Ham are in the dog-house and need to work on restoring their reputation.I am not saying that West Ham are guilty of this charge but it is apparent that we are about the easiest target for the media at the moment and we need to make sure that all our dealings are as spotless as Eggy's noggin.

(There are 2000 bonus points available to the first person who makes the connection between the picture and the last word in this post)

A Bad Week for Curbishley

It has certainly been a bad week for West Ham manager Alan Curbishley. It was not just the defeat against Man City but the nature of the defeat that seems to have reopened the debate about his management skills.

Matthew O'Greel on KUMB was one of the first to lay the blame for this poor performance squarely at Curbishley's door. In his article How Curb's Got it All Wrong O'Greel questioned Curbishley's tactics of moving Etherington to left back and playing so narrowly, with Ljungberg not so much on the wing but in the hole behind the back two.

A week may be a long time in politics but it is a life time in football. Sven Goran Eriksson received many plaudits from West Ham fans after Saturday's game and he is commonly seen to have out-thought Curbishley. Of course when Sven was linked with the West Ham job he was roundly castigated as a useless failure and after one loss Alan Curbishley is facing the same treatment.

Curbishley's reputation hasn't been helped by Paul Konchesky's attack on him this week. However Konchesky's claim that a lot of the players at West Ham don't like Curbishley and that he is seen as too serious are not that damaging. After Pardew's reign at the club many fans will feel that a manger who puts a little distance between himself and the players is in itself not a bad thing.

What is vital however is that the manager has a good relationship with the chairman, that they agree on the direction of the club and on the players to bring in. Well, according to Iain Dale on West Ham Till I Die, all may not be well between Eggy and Curbs. Iain reports on rumours that Eggy wants to sign Nickey Shorey but Curbishley is not keen and that Eggert Magnusson was far from happy with his manager stating that a finish of 11th or 12th would equate to a successful season for the club.

Obviously we all want West Ham to be challenging for Europe but we are not immediately going to transform into a top four side. After last season 11th or 12th would be an improvement for West Ham. Betting Zone predicted West Ham would be relegated in 18th place this season and at 12/1 think that Alan Curbishley is top value as the first Premier League manager to be sacked.

They say that West Ham's easy start to the season could be their downfall. If we do poorly initially we then have to face the big teams from the bottom of the league. They also feel that in Eggert Magnusson we have an ambitious chairman who will not be afraid to wield the axe.

Conversely if West Ham do well early on it could act as springboard for the rest of the season. Hopefully Parker and Neill will be back for the game against Birmingham and a win away from home will be in the bag. Then, for a week at least, Curbishley will be seen as the new Ron Greenwood.

Gudjohsen told to Decide Today

The Daily Mail and The Mirror (in an exclusive) both claim that West Ham are pressing Eidur Gudjohnsen for an answer today. Both claim that West Ham are offering £80,000 a week whilst Gudjohnsen is holding out for £100,000 a week. However the club wants an answer so they can move onto other targets if knocked back.

The Fans Deserve Better

Well Curbishley thinks that West Ham 'fans deserve better", but will they get anything better against Birmingham. It probably depends on whether Parker and Neill recover in time.

Bowyer and Noble were poor on Saturday and both must be worried about their position if Parker is fit. A lot of fans on the West Ham forums over the summer have been adamant that Mullins should be sold. Now it seems he is our saviour if Parker is still injured and it is true West Ham looked far better as a team when he came on against Man City.

Boa Morte, we keep hearing, is going to come good at some point but how long do we have to wait? Curishley could try Paintsil on the right and Ljungberg on the left or Ljungberbg on the right and Etherington on the left. I think Boa Morte should now be forced to prove himself after coming on late as a sub.

Up front things are hardly any better, with a choice of two from Ashton, Bellamy and Zamora. But all of them are going to struggle to score without a bit more creativity from midfield.

It now seems more apparent than ever that we need another winger and striker. Barring some miraculous signings this week can we be confident we will see any better on Saturday?

Monday, August 13, 2007

Solano and Barnes Deal Likeliest

Whilst Eggert Magnusson has confirmed that West Ham are attempting to sign Gudjohnsen the best chance of completing a deal looks to be Giles Barnes and Nobby Solano. Gudjohnsen seems content with trying to fight for his place in Spain and despite rumours there is no deal already agreed between West Ham and Barcelona.

Curbishley yesterday claimed that there is a gap in West Ham and Derby's evaluation of Barnes. However differing evaluations of players often seem to converge as the close of the transfer window approaches and there is still hope that West Ham and Derby can come to terms on the young winger.

Solano has said that "the chances are 50-50" on his transfer to West Ham and that "everything depends on West Ham actually making an offer." So it seems that he is available if Curbishley wants him. On the other hand relations between West Ham and Newcastle appear a little strained at the moment and I'm sure Kieron Dyer's name will be thrown about in any negotiations over Solano.

More Players to Come

KUMB are reporting that Eggert Magnusson has confirmed West Ham are in talks with Eidur Gujohnsen but he also said that West Ham had not agreed an £8 million deal with Barcelona as had been reported earlier in the week.

The talk on the KUMB forum is that Eggy, in the same interview with an Icelandic website, also mentioned West Ham were trying to sign Barnes. This has now been confirmed by Alan Curbishley speaking to Sky Sports News,

"We have been looking at the situation and we have spoken to Derby about it.

"At the moment nothing is happening - their valuation is not where we are at and he is a Derby player so I shouldn't be talking too much about it."

West Ham vs City

Not that you want to see this again and I'm not sure how long this will last before it is taken down.

Football videos of the EPL seem to be being taken down very quickly on YouTube so I'm not sure whether the West Ham Goal's gadget will be be of any cop. Here it is anyway.

The City game should appear on there soon (when the RSS feed I'm using for the videos is updated on Google's cache). I'll also delete the KUMB collection and pre-season friendlies if I can get YouTube videos of our future games.

Click on +Google button to add the gadget to a iGoogle home page or copy and past the code below to add the gadget to a web site or blog.

Transfer Gossip

The People say West Ham are keen to sign Australian midfielder Marco Bresciano. The Palermo player could be persuaded by Lucas Neill to join.

The NoW say West Ham are favourites to sign Yakubu who handed in a transfer request at Middlesbrough last week. The NoW say West Ham could get Dyer for £10 million. Seeing as that it £2 million above what the Toon are asking that's hardly a revelation.

And The Mirror claim to have secret knowledge about a problem in Dyer's medical with West Ham but aren't telling, so there.

Konchesy Blames Curbishley

Paul Konchesky has attacked West Ham manager Alan Curbishley saying he is an old school manager and the reason we didn't sign Tevez or Bent,

"There was, and still is, a lot of unhappy players at the club who don't like him. I am one of them and he knows that, and that is why I left the club.

"I know there are a lot of players who don't think he is any good. I am sure that is one of the main reasons Carlos Tevez didn't stay at the club, and also why Darren Bent refused to sign for West Ham. It was because of the manager.

"He is hard to get on with. He doesn't have much banter; he is serious all the time, he keeps himself to himself and doesn't get involved - very old school."

Obviously too serious for Konchesky, who should do well at the West Ham hating Fulham.

A Massive Disappointment

"It is a massive disappointment. We started poor and got worse. City produced a classic away performance. they got their goal, sat back a bit and then finished us off.

"But their passing and control was miles in front of ours. We looked laboured, tentative. Only Greenie (keeper Rob Green) came out of it with real credit. The rest have to look at themselves.

"I've apologised to one or two players for playing them out of position but we had to make changes. City dictated for the first 15 minutes and we never really got back although we could have taken a good chance (through Dean Ashton) before their second goal.

"City came here probably not knowing what to expect and they will be delighted. I've said to Sven, well done - your first half performance won it.

"I think he will be pleased with his start back in English football and the Premier League. We haven't got a game midweek and maybe that's a blessing with a full week to put things right. We just have to get on with it."

West Ham vs Man City - Live Streams

Live streams of the game seem to be available for Sopcast and PPMate. Links here. The game is being shown by channel True 64, which isn't a channel I've come across before so the language of the commentary and the picture quality are anyone's guess.

Live radio commentary is available on BBC London DAB Digital Radio & Sky Channel 0152.

Friday, August 10, 2007

Dyer and Solano?

The Times are suggesting that West Ham could sign both Dyer and Nolberto Solano from Newcastle. Although the Toon rejected the £6 million offered by West Ham at the last moment The Times thinks that they would be lively to accept £6 million for Dyer if they also get £6 million for Solano, although The Independent are suggesting Newcastle want £8 million for both.

I can't really see West Ham paying £6 million for 33yr old Solano so suspect this may be a desperate ploy by the Geordies to get rid of the two players.

Freddie Named Captain

Freddie Ljungberg has been named stand in captain for tomorrow's game against City. The Swedish captain will deputise for the injured Lucas Neill. Alan Curbishley said,

"In the end, I plumped for Freddie because he has been there, seen it and done it, and is the most experienced player in our side.

"I wanted to give it to someone who wouldn't see it as a pressure or allow it to impact on their performance. Freddie will take it in his stride and, as captain of Sweden, he knows what it is all about.

Solano for West Ham

A rumour floating around for the last couple of days has been suggesting that West Ham may sign Newcastle's Nobby Solano on a free transfer. Solano's family are based in London and he may be about to ask Newcastle if he can join West Ham on compassionate grounds. The rumour has been fanned today by news he isn't in the squad for tomorrow's game.

With the Toon still supposedly unhappy with West Ham over the Dyer non-transfer you would think it would be a request they are likely to turn down. However do they want two unhappy players in their squad because they have been denied the chance to join a better team?

West Ham vs Man City

West Ham will be without Parker and Neill for this game, although interestingly the BBC say both will be out for only one game. Quashie is also out with a hernia injury so the central midfield pairing will presumably be from Noble, Mullins and Bowyer.

Spector has been Curbishley's preferred back up at right back but now that Gabbidon is fit Ferdinand could be moved out right or Paintsil might be given another chance. Up front Ashton still doesn't look completely match fit so presumably won't get 90 minutes. Bellamy and Zamora may well start with Ashton coming on in the second half.

For City Vedran Corluka and Valeri Bojinov are still awaiting international clearance and as it stands can't play. First choice keeper Andreas Isaksson is injured so Joe Hart could make his League début.

This could be a tough opener for West Ham. On paper this should be a home win but Eriksson's team's are always hard to beat. Eriksson is certainly not the most adventurous of managers but as we saw with his England teams his side's are normally hard to break down.

However with home advantage and Zamora and Ashton both looking in goal scoring form, and with Ljungberg also looking like he wants to impress, a win in the opening game should be in the bag.

Geordie Spin on Dyer Transfer Collapse

Toon chairman Chris Mort has repeated Fat Sam's spin on their attempt to scam West Ham out of a couple of extra million pounds. Yesterday he claimed,

"We got very uncomfortable with the way they (West Ham) were conducting negotiations and some of the things going on about the deal we wanted to change from our perspective.

"They were not prepared to match the valuation we put on him."

This argument that West Ham were not prepared to match Newcastle's evaluation of Dyer is consistent with Fat Sam's statements on this matter. It is a crazy argument as they inflated their own evaluation of the player by 25% after having already agreed a price.

The continuing attempt to blame West Ham after Mort himself ballsed up the chance to get rid of a troublesome player only makes the Newcastle chairman appear even more incompetent.

Eggert Dig at Al Fayed

The Daily Express reporting on yesterday's interviews by Eggert Magnusson claim West Ham "have splashed out £25 million" this summer. Despite the fact that the club have taken in as nearly as much from player's sold the media want to portray West Ham as the team inflating transfer values.

It seems that Al Fayed is bearing the brunt of Magnusson's's anger. Fulham backed Sheffield United's attempts to get West Ham relegated and Eggert had this to say about the West London club,

"Obviously, we refused and played him. How can you buy a player for £5m and not play him, it’s crazy. The Fulham request was an attempted outside influence on my club. There have been things that have happened that make me ­wonder why it is only my club being ­criticised."

Magnusson Proposes New Stadium

Eggert Magnusson has confirmed that West Ham are in negotiations with the London Development Agency about the Parcel Force site opposite West Ham Station. In making the announcement Magnusson made a sly dig at the Olympic authorities,

"It will be interesting to see what Londoners think when they see our [new] ground and also the Olympic stadium. I don't understand why we are not able to go to the Olympic stadium. We offered money, we sent letters and we described how we saw things happening. We had a meeting at the House of Commons with [Olympics minister] Tessa Jowell and [Mayor of London] Ken Livingstone and it was not possible. As a businessman it makes no sense to me to build a new stadium and then take it down to 25,000."

West Ham Linked With - Everyone

The Independent has covered just about all bases today, linking West Ham with Gudjohnsen, Mark Bresciano, Giles Barnes, Nickey Shorey, Kieron Dyer, Nicolas Anelka and Yakubu. However the paper does say West Ham have dropped their interest in the last three and that the Barnes deal is not likely to happen.

They quote Eggert Magnusson as saying,

"There is no secret that we are interested in Giles Barnes. We also know that Derby don't want to sell at the moment."

The Independent repeat the news that Gudjohnson is keen to stay at Barcelona for another year and say that although West Ham have not given up hope of him arriving this summer he is a long term target for the club.

A rumour that I haven't heard before is that West Ham are now trying to buy the Australian midfielder Mark Bresciano whose £4m move to City has stalled. The Independent believes that West Ham have turned their interest to the Palermo player now that the Dyer deal has collapsed.

West Ham Donate Part of Tevez Fee

West Ham have announced that will donate £500,000 from the fee received for Carlos Tevez to the Football Foundation. The contribution will be earmarked specifically for the creation of football mini-pitches in the London Borough of Newham.

Whilst I welcome this gesture, especially as a Newham resident, I can't help feeling it could prove to be an own goal in terms of the club's public relations. I think they would have been better to just donate the money without mentioning the Tevez fee.

I can't help thinking that a lot of the West Ham hating press will say that West Ham only donated a quarter of the money that they should never have received in the first place.

Thursday, August 09, 2007

Eggy on the BBC

West Ham and Derby Can't Agree Fee for Barnes

Alan Curbishley has confirmed that West Ham have been in contact with Derby about buying Giles Barnes,

"We have been looking at the situation and we have spoken to Derby about it. At the moment nothing is happening - their valuation is not where we are at and he is a Derby player so I shouldn't be talking too much about it."

Eggert Speaks Out

Eggert Magnusson in an interview with Sky admitted that he was glad the whole Tevez saga was over. He also said that Terence Brown is "not very welcome at the moment."

Magnusson was at pains to point out that he never thought West Ham would have points deducted,

"What people tend to forget is that the players (Tevez and Javier Mascherano) were always correctly registered with West Ham from the beginning.

"With regards to the fine, it was a very, very heavy fine. I think if you look internationally something like this has never happened before."

Fulham, along with Sheffield United, appealed against the original commission's decision to only fine West Ham. Magnusson confirmed that Fulham had asked West Ham not to play Boa Morte against them and so were therefore attempting third party influence.

Shorey and Gudjohnsen in January

The Independent and The Mail both claim West Ham have identified Nicky Shorey and Eidur Gudjohnson as their top two transfer targets.

There have been rumours floating around the West Ham forums for the last few days suggesting that Gudjohnsen was close to signing. Most of the rumours have suggested West Ham have agreed a fee with Barcelona however The Independent says West Ham will have to wait till January to sign both players. They say Reading and Barcelona have both told West Ham that they don't want to sell in this transfer window.

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Neill Out for a Month

The Daily Mail have confirmed the rumours that started after yesterday's training session that Lucas Neill had suffered a serious injury. The Mail say Neill will be out for up to a month. However The Daily Mirror say it could be two months.

Neill went into a committed challenge in a practice exercise and went down in agony after the block tackle. According to The Daily Mirror he has suspected ankle ligament damage and West Ham fear he may be on the sidelines until October.

The paper also say West Ham have had a £2.5m bid for Derby's Giles Barnes rejected but are poised to test Derby's nerve by making an improved offer.

Real Madrid or Barcelona Striker?

With wild internet rumours that say Eidur Gudjohnsen is set to sign for West Ham, The Daily Mail claim that West Ham have actually made an enquiry about Real Madrid striker Antonio Cassano.

Cassano has the dubious of honour of contributing a new word 'cassanata' to the Italian language. The word means 'behaviour incompatible with team spirit in football'. Cassano had a tubulent relationship with a succession of Roma mangers until the club finally sold him to Real Madrid (apparently he didn't say goodbye to any of his team mates at Roma). At Real Madrid he has been unable to gain a regular place in the first team.

Cassano's erratic and anti-social behaviour continued, and his expanding waistline due to a weakness for junk food led in May 2006 to Real Madrid fining him for every gram he remained overweight.

He sounds just the kind of player Curbishley favours and should fit in well in the weigh in room changing room at West Ham.

West Ham the new Barcelona or Real Madrid

In an interview with The Guardian Eggert Magnusson admits West Ham have become "public enemy No1." However any fans who expect Magnusson to hit back at West Ham critics may be disappointed, because although Magnusson is set to make a final public statement on Tevez this Thursday there are legal restrictions to what he can say.

Magnusson does have a dig at some other football chairmen,

"It does hurt me because the club has been dragged into this in a negative way by some of my colleagues. West Ham has been dragged down and I don't think this is correct. This hurts me most, because what a few people decide should not be a burden to the whole club.

"The other sad thing is that Tevez got caught in the middle. He's a great lad, so enthusiastic about football and success, and I would have loved to have seen him [again] in a West Ham shirt. I really tried to make that possible but, as a great player, he had ambitions to play in the Champions League."

Magnusson also rejected Niall Quinn's accusations that West Ham are over inflating the transfer market, "the figures have been totally distorted. I don't understand it". However when pressed on West Ham's wage structure he does hint that they may have broken their wage limit,

"Well, we have a basic wage structure and we are there or thereabouts and we don't want to surpass that. That is still the case."

Magnusson admits to visiting West Ham forums to gauge the mood of West Ham fans,

"It is very important to know what people are thinking. In football you deal with people and emotions. It's a much more sentimental business than biscuits or money-market shares."

Those fans will be pleased to hear Magnusson's ambition for the club,

"It takes time but in two years I think we will be fighting for Uefa and even Champions League positions. The fantasy is that in 10 years we will see the team playing Champions League football regularly in our new stadium. We want to model ourselves on clubs like Barça and Madrid who have great marketing aspects. I think it is possible to compete with this kind of club."

He also confirmed that there are plans to build a new stadium,

"We are waiting at the moment for a decision over a certain piece of land and we will have a decision by the end of the year - but I am sure we will build a new stadium. We have the fan-base to need this capacity."

Monday, August 06, 2007

West Ham to Achieve Dizzy Heights

Lucas Neill believes West Ham can take the momentum gained at the end of last season and achieve greater things this year,

“As soon as I came back this summer from the Asia Cup, I noticed there’s so much hunger and ambition. They are desperate to hit the ground running and keep up the momentum we had at the end of last season.

Freddie Ljungberg has been in the Premier League for nine years and I’ve been in England for 12. The manager and club have done well by buying experienced players who know how to win things.

We started to create a great bond towards the end of the season where everyone was thinking the same. The dressing room was good, a solid bunch of lads. It’s important to take that feeling out on to the pitch. We have the fans to give us the backing.

We don’t want to grind the season out, we want to play good football and not have to be looking over our shoulders. We want to play, knowing another three points could take us to the dizzy heights.”

Fat Sam Staggers and Tries to Hit Back

Sam Allardyce, under increasing pressure from his own fans to explain why the club fluffed the opportunity to git rid of Kieron Dyer, has tried to get Newcastle off the hook by blaming West Ham. He has confirmed that,

"We escalated the valuation to what we thought was realistic and West Ham did not want to roll with it."

However Fat Sam is still trying to hint this is all West Ham's fault but can't say why because that is 'confidential'. It's certainly very convenient for him.

Sunday, August 05, 2007

West Ham Gossip

The Sunday Mirror say that West Ham are ready to splash out £9m for Barcelona's former Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen. Although I'm pretty sure Gudjohnsen has only just stated that he will stay and fight for his place at Barcelona.

The People claim that West Ham will step up their interest in Reading left-back Nicky Shorey.

The Sunday Express believe Kieron Dyer's move to West Ham fell through because Newcastle were unhappy the Hammers were "boasting" the sale had gone through.

West Ham 2 Roma 1

The kick off for this game was delayed because of the numbers who turned up.

Roma had the better of the first half, with Totti looking the best player on the pitch. However the goal when it came belonged to Ludovic Giuly who beat Green from eighteen yards. Llungberg was probably West Ham's best player on the pitch in the first half.

Ashton came on in the second half and the change seemed to throw the game West Ham's way. McCartney got West Ham's first in the 63rd minute with a header at the far post from a Llungberg corner.

Three minutes later Ashton himself got West Ham's second, with a wonderful step over to beat a defender on the edge of the box and then a cheeky shot between the keeper's legs.West Ham United: Green (Wright 45), Neill, McCartney, Ferdinand, Upson, Bowyer, Noble, Ljungberg, Boa Morte (Etherington 28), Bellamy, Zamora (Ashton 45).

West Ham vs Roma

Geordies Up the Ante

After agreeing to sell Kieron Dyer for £6 million Newcastle are now saying they want £8 million for the player. The story coming out of Newcastle is that new chairman Mike Ashley is annoyed at the way the Hammers approached the midfielder and accused them of unsettling the 28-year-old before they were given permission to speak to him.

West Ham deny they approached the player and you would think it would be a hard story to spin considering that Fat Sam has been more or less publically pleading for someone to buy Dyer for a number of weeks.

£8 million for an injury prone player is a huge risk. I wonder how much Dyer would go for in January after six months of disrupting the dressing room at St James' Park?

Now you thought that Wigan and Sheffield were bad places to live but how would you like to live in Middlefart in Denmark or Looneyville, Texas?

I've put together a collection of the weirdest (OK mainly rudest) places I could find on a Google Map for my other blog Virtual Tourism. So if you fancy a bit of puerile fun have a look at this Weird Place Names Map.

Friday, August 03, 2007

Dyer Deal Off

Kumb are reporting that the deal between West Ham and Newcastle may not be as concrete as reported earlier this week. Apparently news agencies are now suggesting that there may be a problem between the clubs concerning the fee.

Tevez - Official Statement

West Ham have issued an official statement announcing that Carlos Tevez is free to leave the club. As largely reported this morning West Ham have reached an agreement with Tevez's representatives to the tune of £2 million for the player's registration.

West Ham clearly believe that the terms of the deal will satisfy the Premier League,

"The agreement confirms that West Ham United do have a valid player's contract with Carlos Tevez and hold the registration of the player. This will be released once the agreed fee has been paid to the Club.

The terms of the settlement are consistent with undertakings given by West Ham United to the Premier League and the rules of The Football Association."

West Ham to Receive £2 million

Most of the papers seem to believe that West Ham will receive £2 million from MSI in exchange for Carlos Tevez's registration. Importantly for West Ham the payment is an acknowledgement from MSI that indeed West Ham did own the player's registration.

This in effect means that Sheffield United will have little chance of mounting a case of compensation against West Ham. It is believed that West Ham and MSI have signed a secrecy agreement as well so that if Joorabchian does hold any more 'explosive' documents they will never be released to the public.

MSI are spinning that they paid more than they wanted because Tevez was keen for the whole affair to be settled so that he could move clubs as quickly as possible. West Ham are claiming victory as MSI have acknowledge that West Ham owned Tevez's registration. However neither side can claim to have come out of this mess smelling of roses.

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Tevez Done and Dusted

West Ham and MSI have reached an out of court agreement over the registration of Carlos Tevez. The rumours say that MSI will pay West Ham between one to three million pounds and if that is ratified by the Premier League then the whole sorry mess will come to an end.

It is probable that the Premier League will ratify the decision as West Ham and MSI, who have been negotiating all day, are believed to have kept the Premier League informed of the progress of the discussions.

Hopefully all that will remain ast the end of tomorrow is to see how Sheffield United respond. As KUMB report tonight,

"As far as we are aware, Kevin McCabe has yet to comment, but we expect more falsehoods and hypocrisy out of Yorkshire as soon as Sky can get a microphone in front of the less than camera-shy property developer."